The Diocese of Springfield is gauging interest in another Catholic high school in the capital city. If approved, it would be located in the former Cathedral School. A survey was recently placed in church bulletins to see how the idea is received among parents and congregations.
While Springfield is home to Sacred Heart-Griffin, sponsored by the Dominican Sisters, the second school would have a different governance, led by Bishop Thomas Paprocki. SHG enrolls between 500-600 students in 9th-12th grades.
The second school, to be named after the late Bishop Fulton Sheen, would teach what is considered a "classical" Catholic curriculum. A news release gave a description.
"Classical education works to keep the focus on the idea of wonder and discovery in the heart of the learning. Frequently what happens in the bulk of education in America today, it's very informed by the philosophy of John Dewey, and it's frequently very utilitarian. You need to learn this so you can get a good grade, so you can get a degree, so you can get a career, so you can get a job, so you can get money to get stuff, right?" said Mark Newcomb, Director of the Department of Catholic Education in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.
"Unlike a traditional high school curriculum organized primarily around individual academic subjects, Fulton Sheen Academy would approach learning through the lens of historical periods, integrating literature, mathematics, art, and science into the study of different eras," said Newcomb. "The point of classical education is to really be at that point of wonder and looking at what God has folded into the of creation, what God is continuing to do in that creation."
He said the school could begin in 2027 with as few as 20 students. Diocese officials expect to wait a few more weeks for feedback before a final decision is made.
More details can be found at https://dio.org/schools/
The following is a transcript of our Local Edition interview:
Sean Crawford:
Let's just start with what is being considered. What is under discussion right now?
Mark Newcomb:
Yes, thanks so much for the question. I appreciate it. I think for the time I've been here, which is a little more than three years now, we have families that regularly ask, hey, is there any consideration for Springfield to offer something like a classical cabinet of some sort, be a micro school or that kind of thing?
And this was a question I think that families approached the bishop to find out about, I think a couple years before I arrived. So right now, we're running a survey link to just basically figure out how big is the interest? Are there enough families to make this a possibility or not?
Sean Crawford:
For those that aren't that familiar with Catholic education, or maybe they are, what is the difference here? You mentioned classical. What would be the difference to say something that is already going on with Sacred Hear- Griffin?
Mark Newcomb:
So, classical education works to keep the focus on the idea of wonder and discovery in the heart of the learning. Frequently what happens in the bulk of education in America today, it's very informed by the philosophy of John Dewey, and it's frequently very utilitarian. You need to learn this so you can get a good grade, so you can get a degree, so you can get a career, so you can get a job, so you can get money to get stuff, right?
So, it's very utilitarian, it's very material. traditional way of teaching Catholic education is to begin with this idea that God has folded a lot of beautiful and wonderful things in creation, and we learn by being very curious about that and discovering what's in the heart of creation through that pathway of wonder. There's a philosophical difference that is truer to our understanding of the Catholic person, than kind of a Dewey-inspired, kind of an atheistic approach to education. So that's one.
There's a philosophical difference, I think. And the second part is that would then be reflected in a curriculum where the parts are very tightly integrated. So, you could imagine, for example, a situation where, say, 9th grade is studying the ancient world, 10th grade is looking at the medieval world, Juniors who may be looking at the Age of Discovery and Reformation and Renaissance. And then seniors will be looking at the modern world. You're working to have students understand the Western intellectual tradition. That's a primary focus. And they're doing this in epics or periods. And what this means is your curriculums are tightly integrated.
So, for 9th grade, if you're doing medieval, you might be reading the Song of Roland. You might be studying how medieval cathedrals were built. You would be looking at the pigments, dyes, and collective agents that medieval monks knew. And you'd be using those materials to build like an illuminated manuscript page in art class. Art, science, literature, history, all these things are keyed together so that a student has a whole and comprehensive picture of a particular period of history.
Sean Crawford:
This idea of starting something that could happen soon, the way I understand it, it's maybe as soon as, let's say, next fall. Is that right?
Mark Newcomb:
If there's sufficient interest, as I say, the big question has always been, we know people have asked about this. How many families, how many children would be interested? Is there enough to make a go of it or not? Until we put the survey out there and collect the information, it's very hard to know. But if we did have a number of students, say 20 or so, we could probably start it as a micro school by the fall of 2027.
Sean Crawford:
You have begun the survey. So how long do you think you'll wait before a final decision will be made?
Mark Newcomb:
Sure. I think the survey will run for a couple of weeks. Once we have those results, it'll probably take us a week or a few days to sift those and then figure out which way do we go. So, are there enough kids or not? What kinds of interest do families have. The survey kind of allows them to give us some sense of the kind of things they're looking for and more particulars. So yeah, we'll sift the data for a week and then probably know where we are.
Sean Crawford:
And you do have a potential location already picked out if this does move forward.
Mark Newcomb:
Yes, it appears that the old cathedral school in Springfield is in pretty good shape inside and is available. This is all to the good.
Sean Crawford:
You’re not talking like I think Sacred Heart-Griffin has between 500-600 students. You're talking a much smaller amount at least to start. But that would still be enough.
Mark Newcomb:
Yes. So, you know, micro school, you would scale what you're doing to the interest and needs of the families you take in. But yeah, I can't imagine that this would ever be like a large undertaking. I think it's going to appeal to a select number of families looking for a particular kind of learning environment. Yeah, I think it's just going to be a very different thing. So let me also say, I probably should have said this at the beginning. In Springfield, we have homeschoolers.
We have people involved in homeschool co-ops. We've got SHG, we've got some other things. But we really, in that my department's responsibility is to speak to Catholic families and their needs across a range of options. And what we're just kind of missing here is the possibility, if there's enough interest, of having like a classical high school academy kind of thing.
That's just an option that exists in some parts of the country but doesn't exist here. So, if families want that, we want to make sure that we're supporting options across the range that meet the needs of our families.
Sean Crawford:
I know when I first heard about this, I thought, is this competition for SHG? And I think maybe some people might be wondering that.
Mark Newcomb:
We have a really strong work relationship with SHG. So in February, for example, my team, the Catholic education team, will be working with the sisters and the faculty over there to do a day of professional formation with them. I don't see this as competition. I see it as an opportunity for us probably even to join forces on some things to make sure that families in Springfield that want as many options as they'd like to have them. So no, I don't see that, neither in the form of it or the size of it. I don't know. I don't see that.
Sean Crawford:
Now, the Dominican Sisters, I believe the term is sponsor, SHG. So, who would oversee this school? How would that be structured?
Mark Newcomb:
Sure. The likely structure would be like most of our high schools in Springfield Diocese. There's a governing board and the bishop has a seat on that. He has a role in that board. He also does at SHG. He's got a representative there that is a part of that. So, it would be very like most of our high schools here in the diocese. Yes, SAG is a school sponsored by the Dominicans, we also have like St. Anthony, which is a parochial high school, which is a little different. So, they're under the parish of St. Anthony in Effingham.
But our other high schools in the diocese have a governing board where the bishop has reserved powers and has a representative on the board. This would look very like that in terms of the governance structure. In terms of who's running the day-to-day operations, that would be a headmaster, and we would do a national search for someone to lead the day-to-day kind of operations of the school.
Sean Crawford:
I believe it was you quoted in the Illinois Times saying that this would not be SHG 2.0. I want to make that clear to people. This is different, right?
Mark Newcomb:
It is and meant to be different, right? Like it would be kind of ironic and weird for us to explore possible that we thought would be up against. And one of the things that comes up in the comments on the Illinois Times article saying, hey, where's the football field? And I think that’s one of the distinguishing things.
Like there would probably be not as much in the athletic kind of compartment of this. It would just be probably people looking for something that's a bit kind of like a small family faith environment kind of thing where they want to go deeper in thinking about like how we could study, embrace parts of the Western intellectual tradition, the Catholic intellectual tradition. And that would be like the primary interest of most of the students and families there.
Sean Crawford:
There's a cost with anything you do, of course. Is 20 to 30 students to start something like that? Is that financially feasible?
Mark Newcomb:
Oh, certainly so. And you look at several of the things that are going, right? We're not talking about building a facility that's already there. are sunken costs with having space sitting there empty, right? So, we're availing ourselves of all of those benefits. So yes, right off the gate, you've got no capital expenditures.
The only question then is staffing. And so you just simply hire on a scale that makes sense for the staffing. I think where a lot of Catholic schools in the modern American landscape get in trouble, a micro school can be very adaptable. So, if they have a major fluctuation in enrollment, they can pivot to that. It's sometimes harder when you've got your own building and multiple grade levels and that kind of thing to make those sorts of pivots. But a micro school just goes into the proposition with families and with students saying, hey, we just may have to pivot depending on enrollment grade level to grade.
Sean Crawford:
This survey has been delivered and has been out for a little while. And you mentioned it's going to be out for another at least couple of weeks or so. I'm assuming you're receiving some feedback already. Has it been mostly positive?
Mark Newcomb:
It's been a mix of things. I think we’ve got a number of surveys from people. There's sort of several of the surveys that say two things simultaneously, which are a little bit puzzling. One is, hey, there's just not enough interest for this and it will never make. And then in the same breath, you're harming other schools in the area. It's like rationally, I'm having a hard time making sense of some of the feedback around that and some of the angst. But I know it's a new thing and it maybe has people rattled. But our whole thing is we have families that have asked about this and we don't feel right in our consciences to never look at it seriously enough to say yes or no, it's possible or not. And that's just, we want to do our due diligence and do our duty.
Sean Crawford:
Is there another school anywhere nearby that you can point to that's somewhat similar to what you're talking about or something people could compare it to?
Mark Newcomb:
That is a good question. I think, so maybe the nearest analog would be something like a Chesterton Academy. I think, I know there's one in St. Louis. I think there's one in Peoria. We would not be doing that model strictly, but it would probably, the form of it would inspire some things that we would do. If you want more interest about this, go to Dio.org/schools and there's more information there about what we're doing and what we're going about with some of that. I think the one thing I would like people to know, one of the big commitments of classical education is helping students see the difference between mere information and knowledge or wisdom. Just to kind of highlight that a little bit, if we're in the mode of so much of contemporary education is to have the right information so you can do well on the test kind of thing.
But that's a very limited thing. You want it with a lot of information hold off and out of context.
Let me give you an example of what I mean to say here. Let's take the Eiffel Tower, right? If I'm looking at this strictly informationally, I'm looking at an object that is so many thousands of feet tall, so many tons of steel, and it has a certain color, right? But the fact of the matter is the Eiffel Tower is this iconic image of Paris now that came out of the 1890s like World Fair, meant to be temporary, scorned by artists at the time, has inspired thousands of love songs since it was created, and that was kind of a beautiful idea of minimalist structural art and a pretty impressive feat of engineering. If you don't know those things, you don't understand the Eiffel Tower. Even if you have measured it and you can tell me everything about the atoms of steel in it, you still don't understand what it is.
And I think another example, right, sort of like an egg. As a modern person, if somebody brought me an egg and said, hey, I don't know what this is, analyze it, I would x-ray it, I would figure out how much water displaces, I would tell you how much protein, how much water, how much carbon. And I would think as a modern person, if I had all the data, I knew what it was, but I don't. If I don't understand the egg as a chicken in becoming, I have no idea what it is.
And so, I would say the point of classical education is to really be at that point of wonder and looking at what God has folded into the of creation, what God is continuing to do in that creation.
Sean Crawford:
We've been talking with Mark Newcomb. He's director for the Department of Catholic Education in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. We've been talking about an approach to a new Catholic high school that could be coming to Springfield. Mark, thanks very much for being with us.
Mark Newcomb:
Thank you so much, Sean, for the opportunity to talk. I'm really grateful for it.
A news release from the Diocese:
The Diocese of Springfield in Illinois is exploring the possibility of opening a classical Catholic high school in downtown Springfield at the former Cathedral School building, potentially beginning in fall 2027. The proposed school, Fulton Sheen Academy, would offer a Catholic liberal arts education rooted in the great intellectual tradition of the Church, emphasizing the formation of students in faith, virtue, wisdom, and the pursuit of truth.
For several years, families in the Springfield area have expressed interest to the Diocese in having a Catholic classical academy for high school students. The Diocese is now taking steps to determine whether there is sufficient interest and commitment among families to make the school a reality. Families interested in learning more about the potential school and receiving future updates are encouraged to submit their contact information at dio.org/schools.
“Over the past six years, families have asked Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, diocesan staff, or members of the Department for Catholic Education if Springfield might ever have a Catholic classical academy for high school students,” said Dr. Mark Newcomb, director of the Diocese's Department for Catholic Education. “We have decided that it is time to explore these conversations in earnest to see if there are enough families to commit to the work it would take to make such an academy a reality.”
Unlike a traditional high school curriculum organized primarily around individual academic subjects, Fulton Sheen Academy would approach learning through the lens of historical periods, integrating literature, mathematics, art, and science into the study of different eras.
The proposed four-year curriculum would include:
• Freshman year: The Ancient World
• Sophomore year: The Medieval World
• Junior year: The Age of Renaissance, Global Exploration, and Reformation
• Senior year: The Modern World
“Classical education would be focused on the cultivation of virtue in students, and the pursuit of wisdom in their studies,” Newcomb said. “Our chief aim at Fulton Sheen Academy would be to form students who love truth, seek beauty, and live a life of goodness.”
He explained that Catholic liberal arts education draws from the great conversation of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, examining fundamental questions about the world, human nature, morality, happiness, God, and the purpose of life. The approach also emphasizes the study of great works of literature, philosophy, art, and music; the development of critical thinking through grammar, logic, and rhetoric; and an appreciation for the wisdom passed down through generations of Western civilization. The goal is to help students move beyond simply acquiring information to developing the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom necessary to engage the world thoughtfully and live meaningful lives.
Catholic identity would be central to every aspect of the Academy, not simply a component of its religious education classes.
“The Catholic formation of such an academy would be integral for every subject and endeavor, Mass would be celebrated regularly, students would engage in the Corporal Works of Mercy, and feast and fast days would frame the social and institutional life of the school,” Newcomb said. “The Church’s liturgical calendar would set the rhythm and inform the studies of the school.”
The Academy would seek to foster community centered on Jesus Christ and His teachings, while encouraging students to grow intellectually, spiritually, and personally. The Diocese is initially seeking to identify families with students who would be interested in attending Fulton Sheen Academy.
“If there are 20 or more students interested and eligible, Fulton Sheen Academy would launch in the fall of 2027 as a micro-school,” Newcomb said. “The aim will be for a family of faith atmosphere, where we would build a culture of faith, learning, and laughter in the light of Jesus Christ and His teachings.”
The Diocese anticipates conducting a national search for a headmaster, who would assist in selecting teachers. During the Academy’s early stages, some courses would likely feature combined grade levels.
At this stage, the proposal remains exploratory. The Diocese will use the information gathered from interested families to help determine the level of demand, evaluate next steps, and assess the feasibility of opening the Academy. Families interested in learning more about Fulton Sheen Academy and receiving updates as plans develop can submit their contact information at dio.org/schools.
Fulton Sheen Academy would be named after Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (1895–1979), who was a renowned Catholic bishop, author, theologian, and television and radio personality who became one of the most influential Catholic voices in America. A gifted communicator, he reached tens of millions through his popular television program Life Is Worth Living, earning widespread acclaim for making the teachings of the Catholic faith accessible to audiences around the world.
Born in El Paso, Illinois, Fulton Sheen was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Peoria, served as bishop of Rochester, New York, and was beatified by the Catholic Church in 2026, becoming “Blessed Sheen,” the final step before becoming a Saint.
